


Around

by arzaylea



Series: wrapped [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 5SOS - Freeform, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 10:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14809259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arzaylea/pseuds/arzaylea
Summary: Out of my mind.





	Around

Calum told himself he would never be alright.

That was the mindset that the man has for the night. He hated to admit it, but feelings are feelings. His built up rage and hatred only grew worse that night; he was tired of it.

For a man who was in his own house talking to his girlfriend, he wanted to go home. Calum wished to turn back time to the good days- when he was less stressed out.

"I hate my life, and I hate you," Calum screamed, stomping his foot.

The man was full of heartbreak; his chest was tight, and his mouth was still staying open to yell. For a man that was usually calm, this was more than an outbreak along with a cry for help.

Maybe it was the fact that everything was ending for him. The man felt as if he was still young enough to be reckless, but due to being too careless, that all ended for him far too soon.

Just a few seconds later, that's when he realized; he didn't hate her. Calum only hated himself but adored the girl. She was the girl that made him happy when he was sad.

No one ever understood Calum was tired of his life and how he is treated. He didn't like how he was treated; no one would enjoy feeling the way he did. The teen felt as if he was being pushed around his whole life, never appreciated by anyone.

Even with a ranting girlfriend in the background, Calum couldn't hear anything. He couldn't give his attention to a particular person, and he didn't want to concentrate on the screaming.

It was an odd fight, but only because Calum wasn't fighting. He didn't like fighting; he never did and never will. Calum wanted to be himself; he wanted to be the mellow man that handles everything in a calm way. He didn't get attached to arguments, but instead took whatever he needed to. Tonight, he wasn't like that.

Tonight, he acted like the adult he needed to be. Calum Hood was the teen he needed to be, for his girlfriend and child. Sometimes, though, he didn't enjoy that like he thought he would.

The boy shook his head as he turned away from her, walked out of the living room, towards the entrance, picked up his jacket to slide on, slipped on a pair of Vans, and then left; the only sound he made was the door slamming behind him.

It was not a pleasant sound.

Calum didn't know where to go; he didn't want to be with any of the few people he knew. Everyone that knew the boy told him his life was a mistake or that he was going nowhere with his life. He didn't like that. The boy missed the days where people were proud of him. His family lost those days too, having a straight A student who wasn't preparing to raise a child at only eighteen.

As the teen walked down the pathway, he passed his car and then headed for the sidewalk. Maybe a trip around the block wouldn't be too much, he thought, hopefully, it would calm him down enough to return home.

His eyes watched the sidewalk as he followed down, keeping at the straight line; the only sound being heard from him was the scraping of the bottom of his vans to the concrete. It wasn't much, though, he somehow found it to be a soothing yet slightly annoying sound.

Luckily for Calum, it was quiet outside. Usually, in the suburban neighborhood, children were running around or at least a few dogs barking. Today was much duller than that, though, and Calum was a bit glad.

He wasn't in the mood to see kids riding their bikes, teenagers driving around, adults walking with families, and dogs waiting to be pet.

The teen felt as if everything was tumbling down. His family was falling apart, he was losing his education, and he wasn't happy anymore.

Every morning, he used to wake up to go to school with friends, now, he wakes up to work. Calum gets up every day to work for too long and then come home to his growing family.

He liked to think he was too young to be a parent, but it was far too late for anything.

After what felt like five minutes, Calum found himself stopped. There he was, standing in front of the home where he grew up. The place was full of more memories than he remembered. This was the place he only moved out of to live a few houses down, going from being the baby to having a baby.

His older sister still lived there, and he wished that he did too. She was old enough to party every night she desired but was young enough to always go to school every morning.

It reminded him of when he felt most loved; it told him of when he was young and simple-minded. He still is just young, dumb, and broke.

He stood in front of a place he grew up to love but feared. His old home scared him more than anything else. He couldn't help but be angry. He wasn't allowed there anymore; his former family didn't care for him. He didn't enjoy the life he had now. He could be happier, but he wasn't.

Stepping off of the sidewalk, he was then on the grass, walking up to the flowers in the front yard. Once he was there, he stopped. The teen then crouched down, letting his fingers run over the dirt. His eyes never left the house while doing so; he was practically staring at the old home.

After recollecting, he clutched a stone from the border of the plans, bringing himself to stand up. The man held it tight, looking at the building yet again. His eyes landed on the window as his eyebrows furrowed, showing an angry expression.

Without any thought, he chucked the stone at home, a little huff in the process.

It felt like as soon as he released it from his hand, he heard glass shatter and alarms go off. The sudden sounds startled him, with his reaction was to kneel down while covering his arms over his head quickly.

He was terrified of everything he had done, suddenly, the awful things that could happen to him flashed before his eyes. What if the police came? He doubts that his parents would press charges. Maybe someone saw him? Calum would be ruined if he went to jail. Who would want to have a teen dad who has been arrested work for them?

After a moment of listening to the alarms, the boy looked up, seeing the inactive house. The large window remained shattered, the sirens continued, but the house remained still.

As he collected himself, he pulled his arms away from his head while standing up.

"I didn't think you would do it." A voice from behind him startled the man, causing him to jump slightly.

He heard the voice giggle, which brought him slight relief. Anyone who was about to report him for destroying property would not be giggling. It brought shame to himself, though, someone watched as the man hurt a home, one that used to be his.

"Didn't think so either," he muttered loud enough for the person to hear. His eyes finally left the disgusting house; he absentmindedly turned behind him until his eyes landed on the girl behind him.

Something about her seems so fragile and scared, but she was showing no fear. The girl was so small, something about her was so eye-catching to where Calum couldn't look away. She was the type of person everyone wanted to keep protected. He quickly caught that but little did he know, it was true.

"But you did," she said, stepping up to the pathway- which Calum only stood a few steps away.

Calum nodded his head; he did it, and he was proud of himself. The hell hole in front of him that he used to call home was showing how broken it was. It was utterly shattered, just like all of the memories he replayed the nights he questioned himself.

Seeing he only continued to stare at the house, the girl stepped behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder- which caused the man to jump- somehow he managed to forget already she was there. He then turned around to face her, both having blank expressions on their faces.

"Please don't report me, I grew up here. I promise I'll end up paying for it. Going to jail would completely fuck up my life; I have a family. This would ruin me."

Calum was a person to despise anyone who played the victim, but sometimes he had to. The man was panicked; he had nearly no choice. After destroying his childhood home, he was in a panic. All of his mistakes suddenly rushed to him.

Instead of the girl telling him anything, her hand traveled down his shoulder to his arm, and then loosely clung to his fingers- which remained barely intertwined.

For some reason, the boy trusted the stranger. She wasn't there to judge him, but only be sweet. They barely said a few words, but at least they were reassuring.

Calum needed the reassurance.

After staring at the building for what felt like forever, he finally turned to the girl. His brown eyes locked with her blue ones and neither could think of pulling away.

"Are you okay?"

Calum didn't know the answer to that question. It was such a small thought that brought up so many things to him. He wanted to be safe and secure, but he didn't feel either at the moment.

The boy was scared and lost.

Instead of giving a verbal reply, the man shook his head. With such innocent eyes, she could tell he was hurting. Something was bothering the man. She wasn't worried about what that was, though, she wanted to know if he was stable.

The girl was the first to regain attention again. She motioned for Calum to walk with her, which he did.

They walked side by side down the sidewalk, hand in hand, all eyes locked on the ground. Dead silent.

Their speed was quite fast, but only because she didn't want the stranger to leave in a few minutes when the police arrived to see who broke a window of the home.

The girl was nervous; Calum could easily sense how she was feeling. He told himself it was his parental instincts growing in but in reality, it was his common sense.

She was quiet; he expected more questions by the girl, but nothing else left her mouth.

Five houses down from Calum's childhood home, that's how long it took either of the two to do anything.

After one house, the girl lets go of his hand. Three houses after, they accidentally bumped into each other and then whispered their "sorries," back and forth. It ended with a little chuckle from the girl and a smile from the boy.

At the five houses, that was when they stopped. It was the end of the road. The girl turned back to the home; alarms were off. She assumed it was because no one entered the house, but only a pebble instead.

Once they were at the very end of the sidewalk, Calum stepped off, guiding the two across the street, and then to the other path. They were nearing the park in the center of the suburban neighboorhood.

It happened to be Calum's favorite park, and so that's where he guided her. She didn't know that yet, though, the girl only followed him. It was amazing how two strangers had even a little trust in each other.

"What's your name?"

"What's yours?"

Even though Calum asked first, he decided to be the one to answer; there was no telling how stubborn she was. She looked like the stubborn type.

"Calum."

"I don't like my name. Do I have to say it?"

Calum nodded his head. "That's completely fine," he hummed, "is there anything that you want me to call you?"

The girl was shocked with Calum's response. Most people were frustrated when they heard someone didn't enjoy something she had to live with her whole life, and here was this stranger asking her what she preferred.

She already enjoyed talking to him.

"I don't know," she replied, keeping a low tone, "but I'll tell you when I think of something. Is that okay?"

The man hummed with a nod, which was enough to give her an answer.

Calum's eyes lit up as they finally reached the park. He detached himself from the unnamed girl, which caught her attention. She turned to him, watching the man step off the path and then walked to a bench that happened to be right in the grass.

She only observed while the man waited for her to join.

"Have you ever dug your feet into the grass?" Calum broke the silence.

"Not a barefoot person."

The man chuckled as he sat down with the girl joining by his side. While Calum sat in the middle of the bench, she sat beside him. She watched as he untied one shoe and then the other. He loosened them from his feet, and then placed them neatly to the side of him.

"Want to be a barefoot person for the day?"

The girl nodded her head as her actions followed Calums. While he took off his socks, she took off her shoes. He dropped his bare feet to glide over the grass while she finally collected herself. Once the girl stood up, he joined by her side.

Once he looked over at her, she hesitated before speaking up.

"Zayiah."

The one thing she said is what confused him. Was it a word he didn't know? A code word? Was she possibly trying to confuse him? If so, it was working. He raised an eyebrow and waited merely a few seconds.

"My name," she added. "It was about time I told you. We just met, but I'm comfortable with you."

Calum cracked a smile as he looked over at the timid girl, who he now knew as Zayiah. He didn't want to question her. Strangers take baby steps, one at a time. Calum enjoyed the baby steps; they were reassuring.

"I like your name," the man hummed. "Is that what you would like me to call you?"

The smile on his face reciprocated to her own; such a small yet noticeable action made Calum's cheeks pinch and burn.

"Not really," she shook her head, "mind using Zoe or Z?"

Calum's lack of acknowledgment at first confused the girl, but she didn't want to question him. The man stood before turning to the girl he now knew as Zoe and reached out to give her a hand for her to take. With his actions, she took her hand in his own, bringing herself to a stand.

Zoe let Calum escort her towards the middle of the park. With their feet gliding through the soft bladed grass, lightly tickling the bottoms of their feet. The pure feel made Zoe giggle softly but barely affected Calum.

The two walked for so long in the plain glass before heading up one of the many hills. It wasn't very tall, Calum liked to think of it more as barely raised ground. By the time they were at the very top, the pair had stopped in their tracks; Calum was the first to guide the actions. After, the Zoe was the first to sit down, having Calum join by her side.

It was amazing how at merely twenty-five feet above the ground, it looked like the two could see nearly everything. Not only a view of the whole park, but the streets behind it, a pond, and the houses that surrounded it.

Calum felt as if he could see the whole community around him; Calum was going to be a parent in this society. As the deliberating yet honest thought hit his head, he fell back softly with a sigh, quickly landing in the soft grass.

"You seem stressed."

Maybe it was that the man was quiet. How was she able to tell? Was Zoe only curious? Calum hoped it wasn't obvious.

"I am."

Those two words were said with no expression, and that's what got to her the most. Calum didn't hide how he felt. So far, he was a man of few words, and that's what she noticed. She noticed he spoke with tone and expressions instead of expressing the feeling itself.

His voice was low and dull; he spoke slow and honest.

Something about this moment brought a momentarily ache to her chest. It was nothing she couldn't handle. Her mind debated on if she should dive into Calum's arms to show some affection, but he was still a stranger.

"Would you want to talk about it?"

Calum laughed while shaking his head. He then moved his arms to his sides, laid back, and looked up to the sky. The sun was finally meeting the dark sky; he loved how the orange eventually turned into dark blue.

"Of course not. Life is shit, I'm shit, and people make me feel like shit,"

The girl couldn't help but laugh at his statement. She copied Calum's actions by resting beside him. The two were only inches apart.

"You're such a teenager," she hummed.

Even though the two weren't facing each other, Calum's eyebrow went up as he mentally questioned her, which she saw from the corner of her vision. He looked at Zayiah, but her eyes remained.

She could tell he was waiting for an answer.

"As you get older, things get better. At the age of a teenager, you're still figuring things out. Your friend group changes monthly, your crush is always something new, and you're always waiting for things to either start our end.

As an adult, you realize things get better. Adults have more control over their lives. You have school, grades, and social lives to keep up with as a kid. As an adult, you work, pay, and survive. See what I mean?

Before you know it, you'll be able to party and drink legally, it'll calm down your mindset, and I can promise you won't be thinking like that anymore."

While she spoke, the only other noise was the sound of bugs, most likely from around the two. It was just like from a scene in some cliche movie, Zayiah was the character full of wisdom while Calum was the adolescent going through conflict, trying to figure out the secrets of life. Once he knew she was finished speaking, Calum laid-back yet again.

"I think my life is going a different way than you think."

"How so?"

"I can't have a few years to myself to party. My responsibilities are coming early. My life is set for me already with a kid on the way."

After that, the two sat in merely peaceful silence. It didn't bother either of them, though.

"You're right," she spoke, loud and clear, "but that doesn't mean things will get worse. Life may get harder, but you will have more reasons to live. You'll just have to mature earlier."

After that, Calum turned onto his side to face her. He tried to think of something to say, keyword, tried.

"I don't think I'm ready to mature."

After that said, she did the same. With the small gap between the two, their hands happened to barely be placed on each other. Absentmindedly, Calum took the tips of their fingers to be laced, making a small smile appear on Zayiah's lips.

"You seemed pretty mature when you didn't want to go to jail." While she laughed, Calum was already rolling his eyes.

"That is not mature. I don't know what that's called, but going to prison could be probably the worst thing to happen now. I'm still hoping the house will be fine."

"It will," she hummed, "you only broke a window. May a play with your hair?"

Calum nodded his head in reply to the sudden change of subject.

Zayiah reached her hand to lightly run over his smooth cheek, with her fingers diving into his jet black raven hair. It was softer than expected. Up close, his hair looked a bit rough- probably from tugging by being stressed. All of it was smooth though, and Zayiah found herself inching over to feel for more.

"I like your hair."

"Thank you."

After that, Zayiah sat up. She crossed her legs and scooted closer to Calum, which he then put his head in her lap. All of her fingers drove through his hair, front to back, and then repeated.

Calum's eyes fell shut to the soothing touch. It was amazing how much he naturally trusted the stranger. She hummed softly once she stopped, letting the pads of her thumbs glide over his surprising smooth skin.

With his eyes opening up again, brown met blue. She barely bent down, right at the point their lips met. First, it was still, then turned to moving lips. It was only a few seconds before her lips left his own.

The girl barely pulled away, leaving the two to stare at each other. While she waited for Calum to say anything, little did she know, he was waiting for the same thing.

To end the silence of staring, Zayiah finally spoke up.

"Thank you."

The two simple words cracked a smile on Calum's lips. He was content with himself. Day and night, Calum struggled to even go a day without being upset or hitting depressing moods. Suddenly, Calum was unaware of what it felt like to be unhappy.

"Thank you."

She returned the same reaction, and now, both had smiles on their faces.

As if everything came crashing down, reality struck Calum.

"I think I have to eventually go home; it's getting late."

Zoe pressed her lips together while she thought for a moment.

"Eventually," she hummed, "is eventually now?"

Those few words made Calum's whole face brighten. He felt wanted. Calum's presence was desired.

"It does mean now," he corrected, "but we can walk slow."

With that said, Zayiah began to stand up. Once she was collected to her feet, while Calum sat up, she reached her arms out for the man to take. His hands reached for her own; the two have a tight grip as he stood. After she helped him take a stand, Calum let go of one of her hands, while their other hands intertwined.

After that, the two began to walk. It was mostly Calum guiding, but somehow Zoe and Calum managed to stay in sync. Once they were off the hill and onto the flat ground, he guided the two onto the sidewalk. They then continued to follow in Calum's directions.

The only sound coming from the two was the little pitter-patter of their bare feet hitting the concrete, it made Calum mentally giggle. As Calum started to grow tired of the silence, he eventually spoke up.

"Do you feel comfortable opening yourself to strangers whom you will never see again?"

At first, she gave a little chuckle as she hummed, both actions showing her acknowledgment to the statement before responding.

Did she feel comfortable? It depended on what the boy was about to ask. Was he about to pull out her deep, dark, past? Was he a little less than the stranger? Finally, she decided the only way to find out was by letting him ask.

"Go ahead," she replied, "open me like a book."

"Hell, now have to think of a bigger question than I had in mind."

The two both laughed softly. As the night was now coming up and the sun was nowhere to be seen, the night grew colder, so did Calum and Zoe. It barely bothered Calum, though, he was too at the moment to be bothered by something so silly. Zoe on the other hand, well, she was fucking freezing, as she would tell herself.

"I'm only asking out of curiosity. Zoe? Why don't you like Zayiah? I was thinking of reasons why you wouldn't like it." At first, what was starting as calm now began quick rambling filled with a bit of anxiety mixed with some tiny fear. "Sure, I don't know you, but I-."

"Everyone has something they're insecure; some people don't like their body, others don't like their eye colors or the way their voice sounds. It's not that deep. When I was a little kid, I had a fear of being made fun of for it; it's not something you hear every day, you know? Have you ever heard a child try to pronounce anything? Until I was eight, I was Zay-i-ah?"

Ending with a huff, she held onto Calum tighter.

"I don't know; it seems weird but-."

"I get it," he cut her off, giving her a bit of relief.

As soon as Calum realized what society he grew up in, gosh, he hated it. Children were wrong just because they were young, teenagers were shut down for not being adults, and even young adults were talked down to for being inexperienced.

As soon as Calum learned that, he grew scared for his child in the next generation.

"It fucking sucks," he mumbled, bringing back some conversation. He didn't like the silence. If the man wanted to be around others and not have a conversation, he would go home and watch TV.

"What does?" she asked.

"People," he answered, making both of them chuckle softly.

"Definitely."

As much as the small talk was hated, Calum finally realized it could be nice. Soft voices back and forth, hesitating before saying one or two words. It managed to be pretty.

"What time is it?"

Zayiah pulled out her phone to check the time and then slid it back in her pocket. "One in the morning."

Calum left the house at almost midnight, meaning he had been out for an hour.

By now, his overly-panicked girlfriend had the time to tell her best friends about what Calum had started, overly cried due to her over-sensitivity, took five minutes to consider if she wanted to stay with Calum, and even calm down. At this time, Calum could imagine what she was doing.

She was either in a deep sleep sprawled out in the middle of their king bed or sitting on the couch with a movie on, hoping that Calum would come home any moment. Yeah, she was waiting for him.

Even though he always made her mad, as soon as she calmed down, she was already worried about her man- the father of her child. Sometimes, she made him feel safe too.

The pure thought of her brought a sense of regret. While his girlfriend was most likely staying at their house (only because they couldn't afford the minor a car), Calum was out. He had a crush on a girl he had only known for an hour and even had the chance to kiss her.

He wanted to do it again.

When stopping in his tracks, Zoe also paused, then turned to Calum, waiting for him to say or do anything.

Calum wanted- he needed to go back to his house. He was starting a family and now felt like an immature soon-to-be parent.

"I really think I need to go home now."

For a moment, they were both blank, neither could think of anything to say. After merely five slow seconds, Zayiah spoke up.

"May I walk you home?"

A smile couldn't help but peak at Calum's lips. She was too sweet.

At that moment, Calum felt like a little teenager in a growing-of-age story. After staring at his crush who had no idea who he was for months, the boy finally talked to her, and it was fucking amazing. It was a mini happily-ever-after in his head.

Instead of giving him a verbal reply, he chose to give one physically- less demanding, not as desperate, and much more affectionate. After gently grabbing her hand, Zayiah then intertwined their fingers; she held on oh so tight.

"Z, are you sure you want to walk me home to the other side of the block?"

Zayiah nodded her head. She could tell he wasn't too cheery to say her nickname, his eyes brightened much more when he heard Zayiah leave her lips.

"You can say Zayiah if you prefer it."

They both stopped once Calum let go of her hands. With his arm snaking around her waist, she pulled it away with a giggle. It was cute but not what she wanted. Calum watched her as her arms wrapped around his own muscly one.

Very, very strong, Zayiah thought, Calum was a big tough boy; she just wanted him to carry her like a little puppy. Maybe it was how his face was soft yet sharp, but whatever it was, she could tell he was a dog person. Not relevant, but a simple thought.

She thought a lot about the person he was- what daily life was like with him. He seemed like the person to wake up grumpy yet happy. Little talks until he and his partner decided to crawl out of bed and be exposed to the real world. They had only been together for a few hours, and she could already tell he was soft but protective.

Zayiah stopped walking and let go of him as she stepped in front of him, making the man run into her. She grabbed the man by his cheeks, stepped closer, stood on her tippy toes, and pulled his face closer to hers.

Calum was the one to kiss her, starting small. Then, she deepened the kiss. Nothing sloppy or sexual. It was simple.

He felt bad for kissing the stranger, but her return made him feel content. Maybe it was something about the man that made her want to kiss him, but gosh, she was glad he made the first move. Maybe Calum only wanted to know what kissing another person was like.

Once Calum pulled away, the two were left with blushing faces and big smiles. Now, he couldn't kiss her again; his uncontrollable smile wouldn't be tucked away for anything.

He wished his fiancee made him feel like that.

Broken boy meets broken girl.

Apparently, she was hurt too. Calum came up with the assumptions of her words and deliberate actions. Whenever she spoke, it concerned the other. Zayiah didn't need to talk about herself; she was too busy caring for another.

They began to walk again. This time, the two were only four houses down from Calum's home. It was about time he went home, anyway, he needed to own up to his responsibilities.

As much as he wasn't in love with his fiancee, he knew her; she always cared for him, they still showed each other love and support. Calum believes that those factors are much more critical than a crush or instant lust. 

Once the two were standing in front of the home he earlier had to get away from, Calum turned to her, brought his hands to her hair, and this time, he stared at her. He would've regretted a kiss the moment he stepped inside to his bland life.

"You're sweet," he hummed, "thank you for talking to me, helping me calm down, and staying with me."

A bright smile appeared on her face. She never needed to hear anything to show Calum's appreciation; she felt it by his actions. 

"Good luck on being a father, you'll do great."

After that, Calum didn't want to say another word. He knew if he carried on a conversation any more, then he would never leave the calmest yet fun night he had in a long while. 

The two then detached from each other. As soon as Calum started to walk towards his house, she walked the opposite direction.

Exactly three weeks later, Zayiah Joyce Hood was born.


End file.
